America was attacked. That week, an Airman helped a Crisis Action Team and Oklahoma units responded during America’s national emergency.
By Airman Freddy Flightline
Today, I live in Oklahoma, but on September 11, 2001, at 0615 hours (all times here are Pacific Standard Time), I was driving to work at March Air Reserve Base, California, and the radio news announced a second World Trade Center tower in New York City had been hit by an airplane and smoke was billowing out.
It was early in California and the base was at its normal Force Condition Bravo, so entry was easy. The other Wing Plans staff and I watched events live on CNN. We were astonished and sad to see two towers on fire and people jumping out of them to their death. By 0700, CNN announced American Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. This was no accident. These were acts of war.
Joining Crisis Action Team (CAT)
Major Mark Wittemann, the Chief of Wing Plans, asked me to work in the 452d Air Mobility Wing’s CAT. My role? Action officer supporting Colonel Timothy Wrighton, the wing commander, and his Group and Squadron Commanders.
A CAT provides centralized command and control of a unit’s resources and flows taskers. Information provided here is below the controlled unclassified information level.
Before 0730, National Command authorities put military units on high-alert status. HQ Fourth Air Force tasked us to provide information: initiate Force Protection Condition Delta (high state); provide status of aircraft, personnel and logistics stocks; support Operation NOBLE EAGLE (ONE); and more. We requested this information from base squadrons and flights. Impact? Several gates closed. Open gates heavily guarded by Security Forces personnel. Everyone’s identification card and vehicle registration were checked. Long lines to enter.
In between telephone calls and reports, we were told about United Flight 92 crashing in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Later, we learned passengers, led by Todd Beamer, shouted, “Let’s roll” and thwarted that hijack attempt.
Everywhere, lock down for force protection. We wondered, what was next?
Before 9/11 ended, 150 members of Congress sang, “God Bless America,” together – solidarity.
That night, I activated the Deployment Control Center after my CAT shift to provide any assistance needed (fuel, supplies, etc.) to 150 Federal Emergency Management Administration personnel, search dogs and 48 tons of cargo deploying on three, C-141B airplanes to NYC. I worked in the CAT for months.
Only military aircraft flew in America’s airspace until September 14. During Operation NOBLE EAGLE, Air Force active duty, Reserve and Guard fighters performed Combat Air Patrols, alert for another terrorist attack.
Oklahoma Military Response
During the first week after September 11, 2001—Sept. 11 through Sept. 17— Oklahoma installation personnel had four priorities: immediate force protection, homeland air defense, emergency medical support for New York, and preparing military infrastructure and personnel for a much larger national mobilization.
“The 552nd (Air Control Wing) was one of the first units to be tasked by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to protect the airspace over North America,” reads the 552 ACW unit history. Within hours, AWACS were patrolling the skies over North America in homeland defense.
One 552nd aircraft got tasked “to be the first airplane to orbit over the White House about 45 minutes after the first tower was hit,” remembered Colonel Patricia Sheets, former 552 ACW operations director.
According to 507th Air Refueling Wing’s vice-commander Col. Mike Mahon, they had eight KC-135s available at Tinker AFB. “We were all contacted and our jets were in the air the next day. Refueling fully-armed F-16s in U.S. airspace is a game changer.”
General Charles Johnson, former Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center commander, said he knew there would be some kind of response. “I had over one-third of the B-1s in the Air Force inventory parked at Tinker undergoing a major modification….So our job was to get those back operational.”
On Sept. 12, thirteen members of the 97th Medical Group, Altus AFB, deployed to McGuire AFB, New Jersey, aboard a C-17 to provide medical assistance to victims of the terrorist attacks.
America’s homeland had been attacked. We were mad. We wanted to do something: wave flags from vehicles and in yards, enlist in the military armed forces, give blood – something. We would not be cowered.
Later, we enjoyed Toby Keith’s song, “Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American)”: “Oh, justice will be served/And there’s gonna battle will rage/This big dog will fight/ When you rattle his cage/And you’ll be sorry that you messed with/The U.S. of A.”
Responding with Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, U.S. military and civilians deployed to 13 locations in 10 countries in and near Afghanistan.
